Rev. Robert Sirico, president and co-founder of the Acton Institute, reflects on the notion that we have freedom, not to do just what we want, but to do what we ought. What does this mean during a time of global pandemic? Be sure to check out the other videos in this series, linked below. Thoughts from Rev. Robert Sirico during the coronavirus pandemic How freer markets can help during the coronavirus crisis with Rev. Robert Sirico Government bailouts and debt:...

On April 10at The Stream, I note how an environmental extremist group mocked Lent and considered hosting a public suicide unless the world agrees to net-zero carbon emissions by 2025. Extinction Rebellion’s disregard for human life and its desire to decimate economic activity grow out of the same philosophy. Extinction Rebellion, or “XR” as it calls itself, declared a “fossil fuel fast” on Ash Wednesday. That came as part of a push to repair its damaged reputation after an altercation...

It was an unusual Easter Sunday in America. Due to the spread of COVID-19 and the various restrictions on social gatherings, churches across the country were pressed to explore a range of innovative alternatives—whether moving services online, offering curbside Communion, or hosting drive-in gatherings in church parking lots. For others, it was an opportunity to focus more closely on the physical needs of munities. At Crossroads Church in Bluefield, West Virginia, congregants spent the day serving local healthcare workers, using...

California Governor Gavin Newsom raised eyebrows last week when he told Bloomberg News that he sees the global coronavirus pandemic as an “opportunity” for “reimagining a progressive era as it pertains to capitalism.” As if to flesh out this notion Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and socialists on both sides of the Atlantic have unveiled multi-trillion-dollar programs suggesting that the best antidote to COVID-19 is short-term socialism. Sanders’ operatives made one last push to breathe life into his presidential campaign by...

We’re starting to have serious discussions about how and when to get our economy moving again. But like the medical response to the COVID-19 virus, the prospective economic cures are tentative, often conflicting and invariably contentious. Flat lining the world’s largest economy indefinitely is not an option. Another 6.6 million Americans were added to the jobless rolls, the Labor Department reported today. The United States has lost 10% of the workforce in three weeks. President Donald Trump, who said in...

Acton Institute President and Co-founder Rev. Robert A. Sirico was interviewed on Good Friday by Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Channel. Cavuto said he has Rev. Sirico on his program during national crises, because his priestly perspective helps people find peace. Rev. Sirico also “avoids nastiness, which would make him a horrible cable TV host,” Cavuto joked. Rev. Sirico – who is pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic parish and Academy in Grand Rapids, Michigan – lived up...

Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday. Sanders faced insurmountable problems in the Democratic primaries, but his socialism was not one of them. Arguably, the substance of his campaign, with his enthusiastic speaking style, was his greatest selling point. Had the 78-year-old white male belonged to a different sexual, racial, or age demographic, he almost certainly would have cleared the field. Even suffering from the burden of “privilege,” it’s not totally inconceivable that Sanders could have closed his...

Rev. Robert Sirico, the president and co-founder of the Acton Institute, discussed the proper balance between preserving public health and staving off economic collapse in a sweeping interview with Raymond Arroyo on Thursday night’s edition of EWTN’s The World Over. “One of the first things I think we need to do is to resist this dichotomizing, this radical separation of the economy from human beings,” Rev. Sirico said. “After all, the economy is for human beings. The human person is...

A “statesman” is defined as “a wise, skillful, and respected political leader.” On March 28, America lost such a person when former U.S. Representative, Senator, and Doctor Tom Coburn died at the age of 72. Statesmen (and women) are needed in times of pandemic-induced uncertainty. Here’s how Coburn exhibited the traits necessary to be a statesman. Coburn was a member of the 1994 “Republican Revolution,” which came to town promising change and self-imposed term limits. He was one of the...

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the constraints of “social distancing” have inspired new waves of innovation across spheres and sectors. “Life will never be the same” has e mon refrain—an ominous nod to the steady “Zoomification” of everyday life and its looming influence on the future of work, school, church, the family and beyond. The transformation in how we live is bound to have an impact on where we live, as well. Given that densely populated cities are reporting...